The present invention relates generally printing methods and apparatus, and particularly to printing methods and apparatus producing printed label media bearing an adhesive for application to a contact or display surface.
While most printing operations involve application of print imaging, e.g., graphics and text, to simple sheet-form media, some printing operations involve production of labels. Generally, a label bears print imaging as applied in a printing operation and also includes an adhesive on at least one side of the resulting printed media. Labels are often used for addressing, e.g., an address is printed on the label and the adhesive portion of the label allows one to adhere the label to a package for introduction into the postal or other delivery system. Other examples of printing operations producing labels include production of bar code indicia and informational or identification tag labeling such as for application to articles, e.g., a variety of items such as desk drawers, boxes, packages, and the like, wherein content of a given article or the character of the article itself may be indicated by label attached by adhesive thereto.
One popular method of producing labels is by label sheets. A sheet-form media including a waxy back sheet and an array of adhesive labels attached thereto feeds through a printing device. The printing device applies print imaging to one or more of the labels. Once ejected from the printing device, individual labels may be peeled from the waxy back sheet and applied to a contact or display surface as desired. Typically, the labels have on a front side print imaging as applied by the printing device and on the back side an adhesive adhering the label to a contact or display surface. A variety of other label-making methods and apparatus have evolved. These label-making printing operations share, however, a common characteristic of a label having incorporated therewith an adhesive on at least one surface prior to application of print imaging. Thus, specialized label media as so configured, i.e., with an adhesive surface integral therewith, feed into a printing device.
In some cases, specialized printing devices have been proposed for production of special-form labels. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,278 issued May 22, 1990 and entitled Tape Cassette And Tape Printer For Use Therewith shows a specialized tape printer which joins together an image receiving tape and an adhesive tape following application of imaging by ink ribbon to the image receiving tape. The ink ribbon, image receiving tape, and adhesive tape are held in a cassette which mounts to a tape printer. The image is applied to the image receiving tape and the adhesive is then applied thereover. After printing, the tape is fed out together with the adhesive tape applied to the printing surface of the image receiving tape. Unfortunately, this printer severely restricts the available media which may be used in production of labels. More particularly, this is a dedicated, specialized type of media. The user has no opportunity to select an arbitrary media for production of labels.
As a result, media suitable for production of labels is limited. In other words, media supporting label-making printing operations is special media typically having the above-noted characteristic of a waxy back sheet protecting an adhesive integrally formed with the label media and allowing passage thereof through a printing device. Such label-making media is generally more expensive than conventional printing media. Users wishing to produce labels must select from a limited set of commercially available label-making media. Users do not have opportunity to produce labels from arbitrarily selected media, i.e., cannot select for label-making purposes any media suitable for printing, but must select only media specifically manufactured for label-making printing operations.
It would be desirable, therefore, to allow users to produce labels from arbitrary media, i.e., from any selected media suitable for application of print imaging thereon.